K Raman, managing director, Microsoft Malaysia said the deal was a landmark in the local market. "Digital transformation is no longer an option, organisations need to transform to stay relevant in today's digital economy."

He added the partnership was also "in line with Microsoft's efforts to enable Malaysian businesses take advantage of the growth opportunities in the digital economy powered by new ways of collaborative networking."

Raman said that first among the UEM Group subsidiaries to adopt modern technology was UEM Edgenta, a Total Asset Solutions entity. It has already developed a Smart Facilities Management Solution based on Microsoft's advanced tools of Azure IoT Hub and Machine Learning, which allowed it to use real-time insights to deliver enhanced value to customers.

"UEM Edgenta is one the leading innovators in Malaysia, which is adopting our state-of-the-art technology to transform its business model and products. The Smart Facilities Management Solution taps into our Trusted Cloud Platform to deliver innovative services for UEM Edgenta, as well as their customers, to better manage their business outcomes," he added.

Azmir Merican, managing director / chief executive officer of UEM Edgenta agreed. "At UEM Edgenta, innovation is at the heart of how we deliver our business. The partnership with Microsoft has enabled us to embrace cutting-edge technology to better deliver our services. Today, we are challenging the convention and changing the way facilities management has been done. We are successfully teaching the building to think and have embarked on the next phase of IoT where assets will become more intelligent, cost-efficient and customized to the needs of communities."The latest edition of this article can be found at Computerworld Malaysia 16 March 2017